The 2010-2011 NHL season is officially past the halfway mark, with the Philadelphia Flyers in first place in the Eastern Conference. There is still plenty of time for teams on top to slip out of the standings and for those on the bubble to burst through, but the current match-ups are interesting, to say the least.
#1 Philadelphia Flyers vs. #8 Montreal Canadiens
The Flyers have blocked the Canadiens from the Stanley Cup twice in the last three years. Last spring, goaltender Michael Leighton earned back-to-back shut outs, logging in 179 minutes before letting in a single goal. Neither team is that much different than the previous incarnation, but the Canadiens’ defense has taken a big hit with the losses of Josh Gorges and perennially injured Andrei Markov.
Projected winner: Philadelphia Flyers
#2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. #7 Atlanta Thrashers
This is an excellent match-up between two Southeast division contenders, neither of which has been to the playoffs in some time. The Lightning are the dominant team on paper, but the Thrashers are much more well rounded. The addition of Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, and Brent Sopel has added a lot of grit and playoff experience for the Thrashers, who also have the edge in goaltending.
Projected winner: Atlanta Thrashers
#3 Boston Bruins vs. #6 New York Rangers
The Bruins have tasted playoff success in the last two years, but couldn’t find the edge either time to break through. They’ve upgraded their offensive lines while received better than expected goaltending from former Vezina winner Tim Thomas. The Rangers, meanwhile, have defied all expectations with the number of injuries they’ve accrued this season, including the loss of offseason acquisition Alexander Frolov last night with a torn ACL. The Rangers will not be an easy team to beat, but the Bruins have the advantage in this case.
Projected winner: Boston Bruins
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Washington Capitals
NBC would soil themselves if they could market this “rivalry” in the playoffs again. With the success of HBO’s “24/7” program and the Winter Classic, it would certainly be justifiable. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is currently suffering from concussion symptoms, the extents of which are unknown. While the 24/7 program toughened Crosby’s image, his post-Classic comments on Capitals’ forward David Steckel’s “intent to injure” have once again made him to sound like a whiner. While the Capitals have made improvements to their roster, they have neither the past playoff experience nor the goaltending to win this contest through seven games.
Projected winner: Pittsburgh Penguins
As I mentioned earlier, it’s still too early to tell how things will play out, but it wouldn’t be shocking if the Flyers ran into one of the Boston Bruins or Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoffs again, if not both. It should make for another exciting spring for Philadelphia, if the Flyers can keep up the pace.
